Burrowing-machine



A. B. SALIGER. BURROWING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 20. 1919- Patented Mar. 22, 1921.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALOIS B. SALIG-ER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO SALIGER SHIP SALVAGE GOR- PORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y. n a

nunnowine-macnmn.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patent d M 22 192 Application filed February 20, 1919. Serial No. 278,166.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALois B. SALIenn, a. citizen of the United States, residing at New York, county ofNew York and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in BurrowingMachines, of which the following is a specifi cation.

My invention relates to apparatus for penetrating or burrowing into the ground, being more particularlyapplicable to burrowing into submerged or otlrerwise not readily accessible ground, as for instance for the purpose of passing under the hull of a sunken vessel so as to carry a chain or rope thereunder in connection with efforts to salvage the same; the device mayalso be used for laying wires, cables or tubes under streets, buildings or other structures, for prospecting for water, oil orminerals, and various other purposes.

The object of my lnventio n is to provide a burrowing apparatus which shall be simple in construction, durable, efficient in operation, and which shall be capable of being operated and guided from a distance at. the will of the operator.

The invention consists inthe novel construction, arrangementand combination of various devices and parts, as set forth inthe claims forming part of this specification, one

embodiment of such apparatus being herein described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings. i i

In the accompanyingdrawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section taken along the line 1-1 of Fig. 2, and showing the general construction of the machine; Fig. 2 is a top view and Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section taken along the line 3-3 of Fi 1. l l

in carrying my invention into effect in the embodiment thereof which I have selected for description in this specification and for illustration in the accompanying drawings I provide a framework 1, of the general shape as indicated in Fig. 1. In this frame I dispose the shafts, 2, 3 and 4, journaled in suitable bearings. The shafts 2 and 3 carry pulleys 5 and 6. On the shaft 4, are disposed sprocket wheels 7, also the driving gear 8. An endless chain or belt 9, having on its outer surface fins or. gr1ppers 10, is-adapted to run over the pulleys 5 and 6, and the sprockets 7 at the upper and lower parts of the apparatus respectively. The dr ving gear 8, which is secured on the shaft 4,1s actuated by means of the WOI'ID gear 11, on the motor shaft 12, the free end of which is ournaled in the bearing 18. The motor 14, may be of any type suitable for the purpose, but I prefer to use a hydraulic turbine motor. In F 1g. 1, indicate such a motor, and in which 15 represents the intake pipes and 16 the exhaust pipe. 17 is a tank forming the tip or the front part of the frame work 1, and which contains multiple chambers which are preferably oppositely disposed to each other. This tank has through 1ts outer walls, nozzles or slits 18, disposed as indlcated and pointing in slightly different directions in fan shapedmanner. The exhaust pipes 16, are connected with these chambers in the tank 17, and in a crossed manner. In other words, the exhaust pipe of the lower motor is connected with the upper chamber in said tank and vice versa.

This arrangement enables theoperator to control the direction in which the machine travels as explained below. The intake tubes 15, which are of flexible construction,

may extend for any reasonable distance cocks 23, are adapted to partially or com pletelycut off the )ressureon eitherof the lntake tubes 15. he water or other fluid passingthrough the intake tubes 15, while under pressure actuates the motors14, and passes out through the tubes 16 and the openings 18 It is intended that said water or other fluid passing through the motor should lose only apart of its pressure, so that whenit passes out through the openings 18, it shall still do so with great force, Powerful streams of water playing against the ob structions through which the machine must burrowits way, have the effect of dislocating and disintegrating such obstructions. It will be apparent that by simply diminishing or cutting off the supply of power by means of the cook 23, from one of the intake tubes, the machine will change its direction precisely as a row boat does by pulling only one oar instead of both. The part 21, is a suitable eye bolt to which may be conveniently secured a cable or other fittings, and 22,

. regard to the construction of dislodging any cling to it and prevent such obstructions tube 15, and so located that a powerful sprayof water from the nozzles 20, may be directed against the endless belts 9, at the point where they pass over the pulleys 6, for the purpose obstructions which may from'being passed into the machine, thus obviating jamming or otherwise interfering with its proper operation.

The advantages of my invention will be obvious from what has been above said with and mode of operationr; V

I do not confine myself to the construction herein described and shown, as it is obvious that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Whilein the drawings I show only two traction belts or surfaces oppositely disposed, which for most purposes is sufficient, it is obvious that a larger number of such independently operated traction surfaces may be employed. In other words 3, 4, 6 or more such units could be disposed around a common center where special conditions might require it without changing the principle of operation or departing from the spirit of the invention. v In cases where more than twotraction units are employed, the tank l7,would have a corresponding number of chambers, and would preferably be triangular, square or hexangular in shape as the case may be, or these chambers could be independent of each other, and correspondingly disposed- The idea being that each of these chambers or tanks is simply the outlet or nozzle of the exhaust pipe of one of the traction units, with said nozzle placed in a general direction opposite to said traction surfaces.

lVhat I claim is:

1.,A burrowing machine comprising in combination a housing, a traction belt located .partly Within said housing and partly outside of the same, and means at apted to operate said traction belt.

2. A burrowing machine comprising in combination a housing, a traction belt located partly Within said housing and partly outside of the same, and means adapted to operate said traction belt, said traction belt being provided with ridges adapted to increase the tractive power of said belt.

3. A burrowing machine comprising in eratively connected with said plying means therefor,

combination a housing, a traction belt located partly within said housing and partly outside of the same, means adapted to operate said traction belt, and means adapted to sluice out obstructions in the line of travel of said machine.

4-. A burrowing machine comprising in combination a housing, a traction belt located partly within said housing and partly outside of the same, and means adapted to operate said traction belt, comprising a drive sprocket engaging said belt and a motor opsprocket.

5. A burrowing machine comprising in combination a housing, a plurality of traction belts each located partly within said housing and partly outside of the same, and means adapted to operate said traction belts independently of each other, whereby the direction of motion of said machine may be controlled. I

6. A burrowing machine comprising in combination a housing, and means for propelling said housing, comprising a plurality of traction belts each located partly within said housing and partly outside of the same, means adapted to operate said traction belts comprising a hydraulic motor and fluid supplying means therefor, and means adapted to sluice out obstructions in the line of travel of said machine, comprising exhaust ports from said motors adapted to discharge the fluid for operating same forward of the machine.

7. A burrowing machine comprising in combination a housing, and means for propelling said housing, comprising a plurality of traction belts each located partly within said housing and partly outside of the same, means adapted to operate said traction belts comprising a hydraulic motor and fluid supand means adapted to sluice out obstructions in the line of travel of said machine, comprising exhaust ports from said motors adapted to discharge the fluid for operating same forward of the machine, said motors being operable and corn trollable independently of each other.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 18 day of Feb, 1919.

ALOIS B. SALIGER.

Witnesses:

R. KEARNs, WM. SULLIVAN MAY. 

